Cris Carter Put Up Average Numbers Against Chicago Bears All-Time

By Joseph Olmo

Robert Deutsch – USA TODAY Sports

Newly inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter had a great NFL career, but against the Chicago Bears, his numbers were not Canton-worthy.

Including his 14 playoff games, Carter played in 248 games, racked up 1,164 total receptions, 14,769 yards and 138 touchdowns. Quite an impressive stat line. However, the Bears were able to keep Carter under control throughout his career.

Sure there were games where he exploded, like in 1999 when he had nine catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns. But then there were other games such as in 1998 when he didn’t record a catch.

For as much as Bears fans want to rip Dave Wannstedt for his head coaching during the 90s, or more recently as a defensive coordinator, he knew how to take one of the best receivers of the decade out of the game-plan.

In his career against the Bears, including the playoffs, Carter played in 26 games, recorded 144 receptions, 1,607 yards, and ten touchdowns. He averaged just over five catches and just under 62 yards per game. He scored a touchdown two times every five games. Those don’t sound like Hall of Fame-type numbers.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree with Carter getting into the Hall of Fame, but was it because of his explosiveness as a receiver or because of his longevity and effectiveness?